THE scientific formula for the perfect kids’ song has been revealed – and it shares a BPM and chord structure with hits by Queen and Beyoncé.
Dr. Michael Bonshor, music psychology professor, from the University of Sheffield, analysed dozens of children’s’ classics to create the magic formula.
He concluded the ideal kids‘ song should land between 60-120BPM, have a ‘marching or swaying’ rhythm and feature repetitive, rhyming lyrics – along with a major key which has a bright and upbeat feel.
The steady, two four in a bar lends itself to walking, dancing or swaying which can help with developing motor skills and co-ordination.
Songs which follow this mix – which include Queen hits Radio Ga Ga and We Will Rock You and Beyoncé’s All the Single Ladies – not only have the power to keep children entertained, but also teach them key skills in their early development.
Repetitive words and melodies make it easy for children to take an active part of the music and it triggers a ‘call and response’ activity among listeners which can help build communication skills like turn taking.
Listening and joining in with songs in general can help reinforce bonding between the caregiver and the child as it involves synchronisation and shared body language.
While this structure is used in many popular children’s songs, Dr. Bonshor also noted it can be heard in genres ranging from reggae to rock.
Dr Bonshor teamed up with Fisher-Price to mark the launch of its Link Squad range, which helps children learn key skills through music by singing and playing with the other members of the Link Squad band.
The Link Squad promotes learning and helps babies and toddlers make important connections as they play and engage with phrases and music.
He said: “Many parents use music to engage with their children, most often singing to them, playing songs , or moving to music.
“These musical activities help children and parents to interact and bond with each other.
“They also help infants to develop communication skills, such as listening, turn-taking, and expressing and channelling their emotions.
“Music is often used to regulate mood and behaviour, with many parents using songs to soothe and entertain their children, and this can develop into a lifelong interest in music.”
Fisher-Price also commissioned research of 500 parents with children aged 0-5, which discovered 74 per cent believe music has helped with their child’s development.
Songs that share most features of the suggested formula:
For six in 10, this is because the exposure to new words and sounds helps with their cognitive development, and 54 per cent like that it doesn’t necessarily involve a screen.
For just under half (49 per cent), music helps calm and soothe children, while 41 per cent consider it helps their social skills as they can sing with others.
The singalong classic ‘The Wheels on the Bus’ was voted kids’ favourite song, followed by ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ and ‘Head, Shoulders Knees and Toes’.
Around three in 10 (29 per cent) have children who like songs that incorporate some physical actions.
Nearly a quarter (23 per cent) like a song that has a clearly defined story, such as Humpty Dumpty sitting on a wall.
In fact, eight in 10 (78 per cent) of parents polled say their kid won’t go a day without listening to music, according to the OnePoll figures.
Dr Michael Bonshor added: “Children’s music tends to have a simple structure, either with a verse-chorus pattern or just one repeated stand-alone chorus.
“There is often a lot of repetition in the lyrics and melody, which is usually in a bright, major key, is pitched relatively high, and uses a fairly small range of notes.
“The songs have a steady and predictable rhythm, at the kind of speed which encourages children to dance or sway along.
“When there are appealing, repeated lyrics and melodies, young children can’t resist joining in with the words, adding actions, bopping around, or doing all three at the same time.”
Gemma Atkinson, TV presenter and radio host, who is working with the brand, added: “I think music is so valuable for my son, Thiago’s, development because it energises him. It helps with his coordination and it’s something fun that we can do together as a family.
“I’d say the music Thiago responds the most to is anything with an up-tempo beat, anything he can clap along to or bounce to.
“And he is partial to trying to add his own backing vocals on the school run. If the radio is on, he’ll try and sing along with his ‘ah ah, ooh ooh’ as best he can, it’s really sweet.”
